Evolution Flashcards
What academic fields yield a corroboration and substantiation of the veracity of evolutionary theory.
Works of human anatomy, geneticism, molecular biology, fossil records, embryology and direct observation.
What is the theory of evolution?
A theory which is oriented towards documenting and illuminating the alteration and transmutation of genotypical information in a given species or population, across generations.
Why is anatomy associated with evidence for evolution?
Species may share similar physical features because the feature was present in a common ancestor (homologous structures).
Why is DNA and genetic similarities effectuated to support the theory of evolution?
DNA and the genetic code reflect the shared ancestry of life. DNA comparisons can show how related species are. We share about 99% of our DNA with chimpanzees, juxtaposed against the radical dissociation that exists between DNA of jellyfish compared to us. This implies that we have a common ancestor with chimpanzees.
What is direct observation of evolution and how does it support the theory?
We can directly observe small-scale evolution in organisms with short lifecycles (e.g., pesticide-resistant insects). Demonstrating the intergenerational deviation and aberration of the genotypical information of a given population.
How does similarities in the embryological development contribute to the evidence of evolutionary theory?
Comparative embryology is the study of the similarities and differences in the embryos of different species. Similarities in embryos are likely to be evidence of common ancestry. All vertebrate embryos, for example, have gill slits and tails.
What is speciation?
the formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution.
What is natural selection?
Natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype and genotype. It is a key mechanism of evolution, the change in the heritable traits characteristic of a population over generations.
What is natural selection?
Natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype and genotype. It is a key mechanism of evolution, the change in the heritable traits characteristic of a population over generations.
What is sexual selection?
Sexual selection is a mode of natural selection in which members of one biological sex choose mates of the other sex to mate with, and compete with members of the same sex for access to members of the opposite sex.
In human societies, females are generally hypergamous, meaning they possess the predispositional propensity to establish an adjudication of the judiciality and worthiness of a partner by his positioning on the social hierarchy. The social hierarchy thus becomes a selection mechanism and those characterological attributions that are likely to proliferate one’s positioning upon the hierarchy is more auspicious towards achieving reproduction.
What is macroevolution?
Macroevolution, which refers to large-scale changes that occur over extended time periods, such as the formation of new species and groups.
What is microevolution?
Microevolution, which refers to small-scale changes that affect just one or a few genes and happen in populations over shorter timescales.
What is DNA?
a self-replicating material that is present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes. It is the carrier of genetic information.
What is DNA?
a self-replicating material that is present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes. It is the carrier of genetic information.
What are genes?
(in informal use) a unit of heredity which is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring.
